Image Credit: ADOBE STOCK
September 13, 2022 - 6:00 AM
A Vernon man who allegedly pointed a laser at a plane near Kelowna airport has now been charged one year after the event.
Blake Everett Dergez, born 1981, has been charged with two offences under the Aeronautics Act related to the incident that took place in September 2021.
The charges come days after iNFOnews.ca made several requests with federal Crown prosecutors asking whether Dergez had been charged for allegedly pointing the high-powered laser at a plane.
The incident dates back to September 2021, when Vernon North Okanagan RCMP issued a media release saying police had arrested an individual in Becker Park who was suspected of shining a high-powered laser at a plane.
If a powerful laser struck a pilot in the eye, the pilot could be permanently blinded.
Dergez was arrested and charged with 12 separate offences from the night in question.
He was charged with assaulting five members of the public and an RCMP constable. He also faced charges of possessing bear spray, a knife, and multiple breaches of probation.
However, no charges related to pointing a laser at a plane were laid until now.
Dergez has a lengthy criminal record and was found guilty of assaulting a prison guard at the Okanagan Correctional Centre in Oliver in May.
He has also been charged with assaulting another prison officer in February and remains in custody.
Dergez appeared in court in Vernon Aug. 31, one day before a trial was scheduled to begin for the assault charges related to the night he allegedly pointed the laser.
However, he refused to say anything and didn't have a lawyer.
He was back in court the next day and said he'd been "blacklisted" by defence lawyers and no one would represent him. His trial was adjourned.
Dergez told the court he was in segregation in custody and didn't have access to make a phone call.
He was back in Supreme Court days later, again without a lawyer, facing two charges of possessing fentanyl and heroin for the purposes of trafficking dating back to 2019.
The Supreme Court judge made various efforts to get Dergez a defence lawyer so his multiple charges could proceed to trial.
Someone convicted of pointing a laser into an aircraft cockpit in Canada could face up to five years in prison and face fines of up to $100,000.
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